Crew SC | First place would be reward for win over Atlanta United

Tuesday

Jun 12, 2018 at 9:22 PMJun 13, 2018 at 5:50 AM

The chance to play the top team in Major League Soccer brings with it the promise of a measuring stick for any team.

But as Crew SC hosts Atlanta United on Wednesday night for a chance to move into the top spot in the Eastern Conference entering the league’s break for the World Cup, it’s just the latest in a line of tough tests for a team that will bring a nine-game unbeaten streak to Mapfre Stadium.

Four of the Crew's past five games have come against teams that are in playoff position; the lone outlier was a game against defending MLS Cup champion Toronto.

“That process has begun, and we have begun measuring ourselves against all these opponents as the season has been progressing,” coach Gregg Berhalter said Tuesday afternoon at the team’s practice facility in Obetz. Wednesday's game "is just another example of doing that.”

In addition to helping sort out the top of the table in the East, the game will pit two teams with similar styles that play attractive soccer. Crew midfielder Mike Grella said the matchup alone should appeal to neutral fans, based on the teams' preferred methods of attack.

“It’s two teams that really want to play good (soccer) and really want to play fast, exciting (soccer),” he said. “That in itself will make the game very, very exciting.”

Then, of course, there’s the last time these teams met, excluding a preseason game. That would be last year’s knockout-round playoff game in which the Crew prevailed in penalty kicks to eliminate the expansion club on its home field in front of an MLS-playoff-record crowd. Before that game, Crew defender Josh Williams said he could sense a level of confidence and excitement among his teammates on such a stage.

Not that it necessarily carries over to this season.

“As soon as the ball is kicked off, nobody’s really thinking about what happened last year,” Williams said. “That’s locker-room material stuff. I’m sure they have some beef with how the season ended. Roles reversed, we probably would do the same, but that’s up to them. We’re not worried about that.”

Atlanta could be short-handed because midfielder Miguel Almiron suffered a shoulder injury against New York City FC on Saturday and left the game at halftime. He leads the team with six assists and directs much of the attack, and Berhalter said the Crew will prepare as if he is going to play.

What the Crew is focused on, Williams said, is its belief that it is again putting together a special season in the face of adversity. Opportunities such as this one offer a bigger platform to prove it.

“These are the matchups we want to play,” he said. “It’s just a matter of us. We’re not necessarily worried about what everyone else is thinking. We know what type of team we are.”

ajardy@dispatch.com

@AdamJardy

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.